Fatigue
by blackedoutburnedout
Summary: This was more than she could take. If children are said to be cruel at times, teenagers must be a thousand times worse... [One shot]


**Hello. First ffn attempt. I know it's somewhat unrealistic, but please review?**

**11/6/08 : Edited some minor grammatical errors.  
**

* * *

Stumbling in her haste to flee from the ruthless mob, Chihiro's eyes darted about in a desperate search for a safe haven. Her oxygen deprived lungs burned and her breath came out in gasps as her aching knees threatened to buckle. Red-hot tears of embarrassment blurred her vision as her footfalls echoed loudly in the empty hallway. She was filled with a sense of loneliness that seemed to grow with each step. Finally, after what seemed like hours to the poor girl, she could run no further and dropped to the ground, clutching her side and sucking in deep breaths of life-giving air. Glancing behind her, she was glad to note that the crowd had not pursued her and the pandemonium had faded into the distance. She reluctantly got to her feet and shuffled to a secluded corner for a good cry.

She was so very tired of this.

* * *

When she first started attending Nashikiri High, she had just returned from her brief sojourn in the spirit world. Her adventure and Haku's promise still fresh in her mind, she could not help but recount her experience to anyone who was willing to listen. Her classmates found her stories too fantastic to be true and she was merely humoured and treated as an oddity. They responded to her overtures of friendship with the air of one bestowing a grand honour on a tramp.

She told herself that it did not matter. They could look down on her all they wanted, she had friends who cared for her much more than anyone on this side of the border ever could. However, their patronising attitude soon evolved into something else. With Chihiro's stellar grades and eagerness to learn, her teachers could not ignore her. Before long, the girl was singled out by the faculty as _the_ official 'Model Student of the Year'. After that, Chihiro's life went downhill.

Resentful of the attention she was receiving, her peers dropped all pretences of friendship with her and labelled her a 'teacher's pet'. Rumours about her began to spread, several of which were so obviously false that anybody in their right mind would declare them ridiculous. Blinded by jealousy however, those disparaging remarks were taken for the truth and Chihiro was labelled _the_ official School Social Outcast.

Every single day, there would be taunts and insults. "Oh look, its Chihiro! The _numero uno _heroine of the spirit realm! We must pay homage to the great Chihiro! All hail lady Chihiro!" Often, these remarks were accompanied with an outstretched leg for the unsuspecting Chihiro to trip over. Need they rub salt into her wounds? She simply could not understand why they could not just leave her be. All right, those comments were meant to mock her, but they were really breaking her heart. She felt the loss of her friends every single day. Rin, Kamaji, Boh...and Haku. Those constant reminders of her separation from them made their absence almost unbearable. She repeatedly pleaded with her parents to let her transfer to another school, but was always turned down.

"Transfer? What for? How can I allow you to run away over such a small trvial matter? Adversity makes you stronger. I would be shirking my responsibility as your parent if I let you run away." Chihiro snorted with derision as she recalled her father's words. Fine, adversity may make one stronger, but this was more than she could take. If children are said to be cruel at times, jealous teenagers must be a thousand times worse.

She felt so lonely. They never bothered to get to know her, much less understand her. The kids in her neighbourhood only deigned to give her a barely perceptible nod whenever she passed by. Her classmates...well, they preferred spending their time inventing new nicknames for her.

With tears running down her cheeks, she slumped back against the wall behind her, too tired to sit upright. As Chihiro struggled to keep her eyes from falling shut, her last thought before she slipped into unconsciousness was, 'At least now I won't be tired anymore...'

* * *

Night had fallen. Humming softly to himself, the old janitor finished mopping the floor and headed to the closet to stow away the cleaning supplies. Thinking about the mess the students had left in the cafeteria earlier, he tsked disapprovingly. Children these days! Throwing half-eaten food at a poor girl just because she was smart and good-looking too!

Pulling open the janitor's closet with more vehemence than necessary, his enraged expression froze and melted into one of horror. He desperately wanted to scream, yell, anything that could express the shock and sorrow he felt but he could not push a sound past his numb lips. Glancing away from the sight, he found a piece of paper at his feet, tearstained and creased with numerous folds. He bent down stiffly and retrieved it before murmuring a silent prayer and backing away slowly to call the police.

_Dear Father, Mother,_

_I have decided to try one last time to deal with this matter. After months of hiding in the library during lunch, tomorrow, I will enter the cafeteria and attempt to assimilate into a normal student's life. If you have found this letter, this means that I have tried and failed miserably. I feel that this is the only way out. I'm sorry to be so melodramatic, but I truly have nothing to lose. Maybe this way, I will be able to see Haku again. Nobody - not even you - believed me when I said that I had been in the spirit world. Now that I've come back, something's missing. I don't belong here, where no one gives a damn whether I live or not. I belong there, over the border where I have friends who will cry with me when I'm sad, and rejoice with me when I'm happy. _

_I have taken a penknife from Father's study, and when/if I fail tomorrow..._

_Love,_

_Chihiro_


End file.
